The most recommended stock market books

Who picked these books? Meet our 35 experts.

35 authors created a book list connected to stock market, and here are their favorite stock market books.
Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

What type of stock market book?

Loading...
Loading...

Book cover of Wiped Out. How I Lost a Fortune in the Stock Market While the Averages Were Making New Highs

Robert R. Prechter Jr. Author Of The Socionomic Theory of Finance

From my list on finance that throws cold water on your face.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have produced twenty books/DVDs and three academic papers on finance and social-mood theory. I also write a monthly publication on markets titled The Elliott Wave Theorist. For a bio, visit robertprechter.com. My recommended titles convey financial markets’ nonrational nature in a visceral way. If you understand that feature, if you feel it, you will have a fighting chance to succeed at investing.

Robert's book list on finance that throws cold water on your face

Robert R. Prechter Jr. Why did Robert love this book?

This is one of my favorite books because rather than observing the follies of others, this author details his own. Reading it is like watching a tragedy when you already know the well-meaning protagonist is going to die.

The author chose to remain anonymous for obvious reasons: He thought he was a rare fool. But getting wiped out happens all the time, to many people. If you want to experience vicariously a dangerous thrill ride that you may or may not already have taken, this is your ticket. The book is out of print and hard to find.

By Anonymous,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Wiped Out. How I Lost a Fortune in the Stock Market While the Averages Were Making New Highs as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This is the totally galvanizing confession of an amateur investor who at first made money in the stock market and then tried to make money faster.... With a directness that startles, with specific references to specific stock transactions, with an abundance of detail unique in investment literature, the author takes the reader on a devastating roller-coaster ride through the market. From the "hot" tip and the impulsive phone-order to buy or sell, to the verdict in next morning's financial pages; from the chase after people who "know their way around," to the frantic switching of brokers and systems; from the…


Book cover of Trading Price Action Trends: Technical Analysis of Price Charts Bar by Bar for the Serious Trader

Rubén Villahermosa Author Of The Wyckoff Methodology in Depth

From my list on stock market price and volume analysis.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am Rubén Villahermosa, independent trader and author. My logical and rational mind led me to question the why of market movements, which allowed me to learn the principles of the Wyckoff method. I have deepened in the study of the interaction between supply and demand through high-level Technical Analysis tools such as Wyckoff, VSA, Price Action, Volume Profile, and Order Flow; knowledge that I share through my books from principles of honesty, transparency, and responsibility.

Rubén's book list on stock market price and volume analysis

Rubén Villahermosa Why did Rubén love this book?

Al Brooks is the most influential author on the pure study of price action. His trilogy is the bible for understanding the messages conveyed by individual candlesticks and price behavior as a whole.

The book teaches us how the market moves and provides clear ideas for taking advantage of different contexts: trends, ranges, and reversals.

By Al Brooks,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Trading Price Action Trends as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A practical guide to profiting from institutional trading trends The key to being a successful trader is finding a system that works and sticking with it. Author Al Brooks has done just that. By simplifying his trading system and trading only 5-minute price charts he's found a way to capture profits regardless of market direction or economic climate. His first book, Reading Price Charts Bar by Bar, offered an informative examination of his system, but it didn't allow him to get into the real nuts and bolts of the approach. Now, with this new series of books, Brooks takes you…


Book cover of You Can Be a Stock Market Genius: Uncover the Secret Hiding Places of Stock Market Profits

Gautam Baid Author Of The Joys of Compounding: The Passionate Pursuit of Lifelong Learning

From my list on value investing from a longtime investor.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the Founder of Stellar Wealth Partners, a SEBI-registered Research Analyst firm and small case manager for investors in the Indian stock market. I am the author of the international best-seller on value investing, The Joys of Compounding. Once a strong foundation is created for a business, owners don’t work for money. Rather, money works for them. As an investor, your money is working for you 24/7. You are becoming wealthier with each passing second, alongside the increasing intrinsic value of your businesses. An investor builds earnings power through a business ownership mindset. 

Gautam's book list on value investing from a longtime investor

Gautam Baid Why did Gautam love this book?

The book outlines an array of “special situations” that may offer very profitable opportunities, i.e. bankruptcies, restructurings, merger securities, and spinoffs, among others. Greenblatt underscores the importance of a set of basic ‘rules’ when delving into the universe of special situations: do your own work, don’t trust anyone, pick your spot and assess the downside, not the upside. The basic premise of the book is that it pays off to search for areas where there is a high probability of finding undervalued equities. You can make a lot of money sticking to the tried-and-true method of investing in and holding good companies for many years. However, if you are a more experienced investor looking for other areas to invest part of your portfolio in, this book will give you several new places to explore.

By Joel Greenblatt,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked You Can Be a Stock Market Genius as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A comprehensive and practical guide to the stock market from a successful fund manager—filled with case studies, important background information, and all the tools you’ll need to become a stock market genius.

Fund manager Joel Greenblatt has been beating the Dow (with returns of 50 percent a year) for more than a decade. And now, in this highly accessible guide, he’s going to show you how to do it, too. You’re about to discover investment opportunities that portfolio managers, business-school professors, and top investment experts regularly miss—uncharted areas where the individual investor has a huge advantage over the Wall Street…


Book cover of How to Make Money in Stocks: A Winning System in Good Times and Bad

Michael Lamothe Author Of The Trading Mindwheel: Eight Essential Skills for Trading Mastery

From my list on trading stocks part-time.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up poor. At 6 years old, I was homeless. My parents had a messy divorce, and I was bounced around a lot as a child. As a result, I grew up with many limiting beliefs; about myself and about money. By age 13, I heard about the stock market and the ability to turn a little into a lot. By the time I graduated high school, I had saved up some money and placed my first trade… I then struggled for more than a decade. After learning the hard way, I finally turned the corner in 2011. My dream is to help others do the same.

Michael's book list on trading stocks part-time

Michael Lamothe Why did Michael love this book?

William O’Neil’s How To Make Money In Stocks is great for anyone looking to learn how to trade stocks part-time.

It gives you a framework of what actually causes stocks to make the big moves of 300%, 500%, 1,000% or more over the span of a few months to a few years along with a historical perspective of why they move the way they move and a strategy of how to take advantage of it that doesn’t require tuning into the news or being glued to a PC all day.

One of the big things you’ll learn in O’Neil’s book is that modeling success is key. The book starts out with over 100 pages of annotated charts of the biggest winning stocks in history. What you’ll quickly notice is that history repeats itself, over and over again.

By William O'Neil,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked How to Make Money in Stocks as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE NATIONAL BESTSELLER!

Anyone can learn to invest wisely with this bestselling investment system!

Through every type of market, William J. O'Neil's national bestseller, How to MakeMoney in Stocks, has shown over 2 million investors the secrets to building wealth.O'Neil's powerful CAN SLIM (R) Investing System-a proven 7-step process for minimizingrisk and maximizing gains-has influenced generations of investors.

Based on a major study of market winners from 1880 to 2009, this expandededition gives you:

Proven techniques for finding winning stocks before they make big price gains Tips on picking the best stocks, mutual funds, and ETFs to maximize your gains…


Book cover of Trade Like a Stock Market Wizard: How to Achieve Superperformance in Stocks in Any Market

T. Livingston Author Of Swing Into It: A Simple System For Trading Pullbacks to the 50-Day Moving Average

From my list on learning stock market trading.

Why am I passionate about this?

The stock market has been a passion of mine for over 15 years. These books have helped me learn how to spot trends and manage my risk while trading in stocks and cryptocurrencies through bull and bear markets. 

T.'s book list on learning stock market trading

T. Livingston Why did T. love this book?

Mark Minervini is undoubtedly one of the greatest traders to ever live. This book is an absolute gem, building on what O’Neil wrote in his book. Minervini has gotten his trading down to absolute precision, from when to buy, when to sell, and how to screen for stocks. It’s all in here. A must-read for anyone looking to learn about trading.

By Mark Minervini,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Trade Like a Stock Market Wizard as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Minervini has run circles around most PhDs tryingto design systems to beat the market." -- JACK SCHWAGER, bestselling author of Stock Market Wizards

"Mark's book has to be on every investor's bookshelf. It is about the most comprehensive work I have ever read on investing in growth stocks." -- DAVID RYAN, three-time U.S. Investing Champion

"[Minervini is] one of the most highly respected independent traders of our generation. His experience and past history of savvy market calls is legendary." -- CHARLES KIRK, The Kirk Report

"One of Wall Street's most remarkable success stories." -- BEN POWER, Your Trading Edge

THE…


Book cover of The Elements of Investing: Easy Lessons for Every Investor

Mark Varder Author Of It's Not about How Smart You Can Be. It's about How Wealthy You Can Be.: Make the Most of the Market

From my list on for first-time investors in the stock market.

Why am I passionate about this?

Investing in the share market appears to be a bewildering, constantly shifting, extremely noisy, and busy world – one best left to the experts. Fortunes can be made but, equally, fortunes can be lost – with devastating results for those on the receiving end. And yet there are a few, simple, timeless principles to investing in the market successfully – and, ironically, those principles – known collectively as index or passive investing – will be more successful than all the noisy, busy stuff put out by the industry. In writing our book, this is what we would like as many people as possible to know. It’s not about being smart.  

Mark's book list on for first-time investors in the stock market

Mark Varder Why did Mark love this book?

This is a slim, to-the-point, easily understood book based on the same principles as the well-known book on writing, The Elements of Style. With its five chapters, it is the opposite of the highly complex, bewildering, we-know-more-than-you communication put out on a daily basis by the investment industry. Its wisdom is timeless. It’s all that a first-time investor needs to know.

By Burton G. Malkiel, Charles D. Ellis,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Elements of Investing as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Seize control of your financial future with rock-solid advice from two of the world's leading investment experts

Investors today are bombarded with conflicting advice about how to handle the increasingly volatile stock market. From pronouncements of the "death of diversification" to the supposed virtues of crypto, investors can be forgiven for being thoroughly confused.

It's time to return to the basics. In the 10th Anniversary Edition of The Elements of Investing: Easy Lessons for Every Investor, investment legends Burton G. Malkiel and Charles D. Ellis deliver straightforward, digestible lessons in the investment rules and principles you need to follow to…


Book cover of Global Asset Allocation: A Survey of the World's Top Asset Allocation Strategies

Jason Kelly Author Of The 3% Signal: The Investing Technique That Will Change Your Life

From my list on to learn systematic stock market investing.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the author of The Neatest Little Guide to Stock Market Investing and The 3% Signal, among other financial books, and editor of The Kelly Letter. Despite having been ranked by CXO Advisory as one of the best stock-market forecasters, I gave up the practice in favor of price reaction. I realized that nobody knows where stocks are headed, myself included, and set out to find ways to beat the market without forecasting—and succeeded. My readers and I are now much happier and wealthier.

Jason's book list on to learn systematic stock market investing

Jason Kelly Why did Jason love this book?

This book traverses the world to find asset allocation best practices, from master investors to lesser-known but equally helpful ones. The main takeaway is confirmation that basic asset classes are all you need, nothing exotic. All of the best systematic portfolios simply rearrange the basic asset classes in slightly different ways. The upshot for you? As long as you confine your portfolio management to these core building blocks, you probably won’t go wrong. It sure beats buying a penny stock everybody’s talking about.

By Mebane T. Faber,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Global Asset Allocation as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

With all of our focus on assets - and how much and when to allocate them - are we missing the bigger picture? Our book begins by reviewing the historical performance record of popular assets like stocks, bonds, and cash. We look at the impact inflation has on our money. We then start to examine how diversification through combining assets, in this case a simple stock and bond mix, works to mitigate the extreme drawdowns of risky asset classes. But we go beyond a limited stock/bond portfolio to consider a more global allocation that also takes into account real assets.…


Book cover of Masterclass with Super-Investors

Prasenjit Paul Author Of How to Avoid Loss and Earn Consistently in the Stock Market: An easy-to-understand and practical guide for every investor

From my list on Indian Stock Market.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am SEBI registered equity analyst, bestselling author & public speaker. I have started investing in the Indian stock market at the age of 18 and have a history of identifying several multi-bagger stocks like Chemcrux Enterprises, Lancer Container, Sirca Paints, Caplin Point Lab, Can Fin Homes, Mayur Uniquoters, etc. My portfolio consistently outperformed the index by a significant margin. For more details visit my website.

Prasenjit's book list on Indian Stock Market

Prasenjit Paul Why did Prasenjit love this book?

This book is a collection of interviews with India’s successful money managers & investors having multi-decades experience. Ramesh Damani, Ramdeo Agarwal, Anil Goel, Vijay Kedia, Kenneth Andrade are well-known names in the Indian stock market. You will find their investment philosophy, mistakes, approach, etc. that will help on your investment journey.

Book cover of The Emotionally Intelligent Investor: How self-awareness, empathy and intuition drive performance

Guy Thomas Author Of Free Capital: How 12 private investors made millions in the stock market

From my list on making a fortune in the stock market.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been an independent investor for nearly 25 years. In my previous life as an employee, I was a research actuary for a firm of pension consultants, and then a university lecturer. I left my last academic job at the age of 35 because I had made enough money to survive, and freedom was worth more to me than a salary. FIRE (Financial Independence – Retire Early) is what it’s called these days, but with two differences. First, I’m not retired: I spend most of my time on investing, but entirely on my own terms. Second, and relatedly, I’m an active investor, albeit a cheap one, nearly as cheap as an index fund.

Guy's book list on making a fortune in the stock market

Guy Thomas Why did Guy love this book?

This could be better written (too many page-length paragraphs), but it earns its place on this list because the topic is important and I don’t know of any better treatment.

Many investment pundits advocate rigid self-control: they say you should try to suppress all emotion in investment decision-making – which is probably infeasible, and in any case undesirable. This book suggests a higher aspiration: aim to have the right emotions, those which are accurately calibrated to the contours of truth.

By Ravee Mehta,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Emotionally Intelligent Investor as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Emotionally Intelligent Investor challenges several long-held assumptions and beliefs, by asserting that a good investment approach starts with introspection. Too many investment gurus tell you to emulate their techniques despite the fact that you may have very different personality traits, motivations and biases. Would Shaquille O’Neal tell a short basketball player to play like him? This book provides a unique template for self-reflection and a framework for developing an investment approach that works best with who you are.Whereas the consensus opinion is that investing success comes from blocking out emotions and making purely rational decisions, the best money managers…


Book cover of Profitable Day and Swing Trading: Using Price / Volume Surges and Pattern Recognition to Catch Big Moves in the Stock Market + Website

Mark Leibovit Author Of The Trader's Book of Volume: The Definitive Guide to Volume Trading

From my list on trading your way to profits in the stock market.

Why am I passionate about this?

Mark Leibovit is Chief Market Strategist for Leibovit VR Newsletter. His technical expertise is in overall market timing and stock selection based upon his proprietary Volume Reversal (TM) methodology and Annual Forecast Model. Mark's extensive media television profile includes seven years as a consultant ‘Elf’ on Louis Rukeyser’s Wall Street Week television program, and over thirty years as a Market Monitor guest for PBS The Nightly Business Report. He also has appeared on Fox Business News, CNBC, BNN (Canada), and Bloomberg, and has been interviewed in Business Week, Forbes, and The Wall Street Journal. His comprehensive study on Volume Analysis, The Trader’s Book of Volume is a definitive guide to volume trading.

Mark's book list on trading your way to profits in the stock market

Mark Leibovit Why did Mark love this book?

Harry and I are personal friends and I am an occasional contributor on his daily live website.  Regardless, I follow his work everyday which is broadcast during market hours.  He and I  are both in our mid-70s and have been trading and writing about the stock market for 40-plus years.

Harry Boxer's proven techniques for short-term traders. He is the best I know for showing and using short-term technical stock market indicators.

By Harry Boxer,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Profitable Day and Swing Trading as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Harry Boxer's proven techniques for short-term traders Written in easy-to-understand language, Profitable Day and Swing Trading + Website explains the trading tactics that draw on price, volume, and pattern recognition. Highly regarded trader Harry Boxer offers the information needed to recognize chart patterns, identify trades, and execute entries and exits that will maximize profits and limit losses. Boxer also reveals his concept of price-volume surges as the key to identifying the most lucrative trades. Throughout the book, Boxer describes his routine for preparing for each trading day, selecting stocks to monitor, and how he keeps track of prices and executes…